Contacts
Address:
Empire State Building
350 5th Ave
NY 10118
USA
Phone:
E-mail:
Psychometrics
My interests are in the quantitative side of psychometrics across the main domains of health, educational and occupational research.
Education
Three contrasting roles I held in education are:
1 - Senior Civil Servant 2003-2013
Including Head of Site for DfE in Sheffield (450 civil servants) and Head of Profession for Operational Research Analysts in DfE (60 staff).
Policy areas of responsibility included strategy, education funding, young people, and academisation.
Publications since May 2010 are generally available on GOV.UK, although research under the Labour government of 1997-2010 is buried in the National Archive, so a few of my favourite pieces are included below.
Longitudinal Study for Young People in England (LSYPE)
Whatever my role in DfE, responsibility for longitudinal surveys within education stayed with me (LSYPE, YCS, EPPE, MCS).
My team set-up and delivered the first cohort of the LSYPE (2004-2010, aka 'Next Steps") and I made the case to secure funding for a second LSYPE cohort.
The research is now scattered so I have brought them together. Here is a treasure trove of LSYPE first cohort outputs.
An accessible overview is this review:
A review of the Longitudinal Study of Young People in England (LSYPE): recommendations for a second cohort
And a short document showing what data was collected within each of Waves 1 thru 7 is here;
A favourite (but depressing) piece of research investigated the casual mechanisms producing the educational attainment gap (rather than just statistical association). More than variation in schools or neighbourhoods most of the gap is attributable to differences in attitudes and behaviours of young people themselves (and their parents). Once young people start to fall behind, their confidence and self-belief that they can succeed educationally takes a big hit, which in turn drives behaviours that often widen the gap further.
Young People - An Evidence-based Strategy
Aiming High for Young People - Three Years On: Evidence Annex
and
Young People in England
These were published on the final working day of the Labour government (9th April 2010) here. The PDF is a glossy discussion of evidence against the policy goals of the 10 year youth strategy. The PowerPoint is an evidence-based discussion of the levers and drivers to improve outcomes.
The policy strategy for improving youth is here:
Increasing Post-16 Participation in Learning
Tackling lack of participation in learning by young people from disadvantaged backgrounds was a priority of the last Labour government. The attainment gap observed pre-16 is compounded when the most able learners build on their advantages by continuing in learning whilst many poorer young people leave education for low or no pay work.
My team provided the evidence around why learning inequalities accelerated and what policy could provide cost-effective mitigation. Two examples:
I commissioned this innovative study that evidenced how post-16 transitions are easy for teenagers attaining well in schools with sixth forms, because that can just ‘stay on’ the institutional conveyor belt. But it is a difficult transition if you have to leave for the world of college, vocational learning and apprenticeships.
The Influence of the School in the Decision to Participate in Learning Post-16
I was also responsible for evaluating the Education Maintenance Allowance (EMA). EMA was an early pilot that was thoroughly evaluated to ensure cost effectiveness. High quality quantification of impact was what ensured HM Treasury funded it throughout the labour years, investing over £3bn. Ultimately it was replaced post -2010 in England, but retained by the devolved administrations.
2 - Head of HEPP 2019-20
The Sheffield universities fund an outreach programme across South Yorkshire's secondary schools to widen participation in Higher Education from under-represented backgrounds: the Higher Education Participation Programme (HEPP). I led Hepp for 12 months and transformed the service offered to ensure every young person in South Yorkshire could gain a meaningful experience of HE. This involved deepening relationships to double the number of schools we worked with, improving the consistency and quality of resources used, and placing data at the heart of delivery to improve efficiency and evaluate impact.
Here's my blog article explaining why this mattered to me..
3 - Bradfield School - Chair of Trustees 2017-20
I joined the trustees at the end of the 2016/17 academic year and became chair for 2017/18 and 2018/19.
The school's performance was "well below average" (P8 = -0.61, bottom 10% nationally) and it had run out of money, overspending £350K per year.
In the following two years GCSE performance improved to broadly "average" (P8 = -0.09) and the budget was balanced
A condition of DfE writing off the re-structuring debt was for Bradfield School to join a Multi-Academy Trust (MAT).
The incoming headteacher from the MAT was in place before summer 2019, although the legal transfer took a little longer because the school buildings are owned privately through PFI.
Liquidating the empty Bradfield School Academy Trust as part of company law takes even longer and I remain its director pending closure (as at Feb 2024).
Value-Added
Progress 8
2019 -0.09
2018 -0.19
2017 -0.61